GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- In court today, a young mother handed Judge Paul Denenfeld a photo of her 5-month-old son.

She spoke about how her 15-year-old brother's violence against her boyfriend had changed her life forever.

"So much of my family has been torn apart because of this. I have lost a lot of people," Sam Seagraves told the judge. "I have to watch my son grow up and explain to him why his dad is not there."

Seagraves made the emotional statement in the moments before the judge sentenced her brother to spend the next six years in a secure juvenile detention facility, then go to prison after that.

Jared Seagraves earlier pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the Sept. 23 shooting death of 20-year-old Michael Haminger outside the Seagraves' family home on Powers Ave. NW. The teen was just 14 then.

The details of the sentencing were all but decided at a plea hearing in March, leaving today for victims and the teen to make any statements.

"I try to have compassion, but it's hard," said Sam Seagraves, who sat on one side of the courtroom with Haminger's mother, while supporters of her brother sat on the other side.

The shooting might have resulted from an apparent disagreement between Haminger and Jared Seagraves over some homework, and whether Seagraves needed assistance, relatives of Haminger were told earlier.

Today, the attorney for Jared Seagraves said a recent diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome for the teen likely played a role in the shooting.

Asperger's is a condition that leaves people with significant trouble in dealing with social situations.

Attorney Paul Mitchell alleged that Jared Seagraves had been bullied by Haminger and Samantha Seagraves.

"Asperger's people do not do well. They tend to wither and then strike out at some point," he said.

Judge Denenfeld agreed that bullying may have been a factor in the teen's behavior. He said there was evidence that Jared Seagraves was bullied in school, to the point his parents moved him to a different school.

"I have no doubt that bullying built up over a number of years," Denenfeld said.

Still, the judge and Mitchell both said the teen's past troubles and Asperger's syndrome cannot be used as an excuse for the shooting.

"He did something that he'll have to live with for the rest of his life," Denenfeld said.

Sam Seagraves was pregnant with Haminger's baby when he was killed. Her son, now 5 months, is named Zane.

"My biggest wish now is for my son to grow up strong and healthy," she said.

Sherry Haminger, mother of Michael Haminger, said she just wants both families to try to forgive.

"We need to focus on the future for a brighter tomorrow," she said. "It's now time to start healing for all of us."

Jared Seagraves' sentence will send him to a secure juvenile detention facility, likely the Muskegon River Youth Home, until he reaches 21. At that point, a judge will determine how much additional time he must spend in an adult prison.

If he does well in the juvenile facility, his time in adult prison may only be about six years. Sentencing guidelines call for a minimum sentence of 12 to 20 years incarceration, including time in both juvenile and adult facilities.